Finest Servant Chapter 662 (Patreon)

Chapter 662 Searching for Yilian

"Has she left?" Lin Wanrong exclaimed in shock, seizing Zitong's arm. "Where did she go? When did she leave?"

"Ow, you're hurting me!" Zitong winced, frowning in pain.

Lin Wanrong hastily released his grip, noticing her arm turning red. His face flushed with heat, "I'm sorry! It wasn't intentional, I'm just worried about Yilian!"

Zitong glared at him angrily. "If you had known this would happen, why did you do it in the first place? You brought this upon yourself! Just now, when you captured the governor, we were all too engrossed in the excitement. But when we turned around, Yilian had already disappeared. We've searched the entire mountainside, but there's no sign of her!"

Lin Wanrong stood there, dumbfounded.

In the most perilous moments, Yilian had stood firmly in front of him, using her frail body to shield him from swords and spears. But when victory was at hand, she silently and inconspicuously departed. This girl’s temperament truly rivals that of Sister An!

His heart flooded with mixed emotions, he pondered for a long time before sighing, "Could she have gone back to Yingyue Hamlet?"

"How should I know?" Zitong huffed, staring at him resentfully. "After all, our Yilian is just a small grass on the mountain, born unloved and uncared for. She finally found someone she cared for and gave her all, only to realize that this ungrateful man was nothing but a heartless beast. What else can she do? Such is her fate!"

Zitong vented her frustration on behalf of Yilian, criticizing indirectly, not caring about Lin Wanrong's status, and lambasting him relentlessly.

Lin Wanrong, unable to defend himself, felt a secret sense of relief for Yilian. Having such a loyal friend was indeed a great fortune in life!

"Then where should I look for her, Yingyue Hamlet?" Lin Wanrong shook his head dejectedly. "If I go there, I’ll probably be chopped into mincemeat by Kunshan and his men!"

"At least you're aware of that!" Zitong chuckled, then quickly became serious, her eyes rolling in thought. "Are you foolish? Even if Yilian really went back to Yingyue Hamlet, she couldn’t have traveled so fast. It's only been a short while. She's most likely still on the mountain. With your numerous soldiers, can't you send someone to search for her? - Hmph, I'm just saying. It's up to you whether you send them or not, I'm not forcing you!"

This girl really had a way with words. Lin Wanrong nodded eagerly, "Of course, I'll send people to search! Yilian is not just your sister. She’s also my friend!"

"Friend?" Zitong scoffed disdainfully. "Yilian gave you her belt, and all those love songs were sung for you, and you think it's just friendship? How conveniently you wash your hands of everything!"

Guilty, Lin Wanrong couldn't respond. He quickly found the Gao Qiu and Si De and instructed them to lead several teams of soldiers to search the mountains for the young Miao girl, vowing not to rest until Yilian was found.

Zitong's tone softened slightly, "What's the use of sending others? What about you? Aren't you going to search for Yilian? She disappeared because of you, don't you feel even a bit sorry? Such a heartless and ungrateful man you are!"

Indeed, the Miao maiden was fiercely outspoken, and Lin Wanrong found himself reprimanded to the point of sweating profusely. Without any hint of anger, he could only nod vigorously: "I'll go, of course I will! Ah Lin Ge am not a heartless and ungrateful person!"

"That's more like it!" Zitong, satisfied and stern, looked at him intently. "Ah Lin Ge, I warn you seriously. No matter who you are, no matter how high your rank, if you cannot find Yilian, you will never be welcome at Yingyue Hamlet again!"

The girl was skillful in her threats and inducements. Lin Wanrong, filled with remorse for Yilian, couldn't refute her words and meekly agreed, showing great humility.

After sending off the fiery Zitong, the Flower Mountain Festival's matchmaking event reached its climax. The valleys were filled with flying love songs and endless laughter. Miao couples shyly gifted each other jade belts, their figures bathed in joy everywhere.

Sister An was nowhere to be found, and at this moment, Lin Wanrong truly felt like an outsider to this joyful scene.

The five petals of the Wulian Peak, steep and perilous, covered a vast area. After searching for an hour, there was still no sign of the young girl. Could Yilian have really returned to Yingyue Hamlet? A faint sense of loss and sorrow welled up in his heart.

"Brother Lin," gasped Gao Qiu, running up to him. "Miss Zitong from Yingyue Hamlet sent me to tell you that she found Yilian's backpack at the cliff behind Wulian Peak—"

The cliff—her backpack?! Lin Wanrong's pupils dilated in shock, his heart pounding wildly. He jumped up and exclaimed, "Where? Show me quickly!"

Old Gao, understanding his anxiety, responded and quickly led the way to the back mountain. Lin Wanrong was familiar with this path, having returned to the Flower Mountain Festival from here after being deceived into jumping off a cliff and falling into the water.

Halfway up the mountainside, they saw Zitong holding a delicate Miao bag, black with red edges, her hands trembling, her face filled with sorrow.

Lin Wanrong's complexion changed dramatically as he rushed over and snatched the small bag from Zitong's hands.

Inside the exquisite bag were bamboo slips covered with mountain songs, the fine handwriting clearly visible on the bamboo.

"This is Yilian's stuff!!!" Lin Wanrong's hands trembled, his heart almost suffocating in anxiety. "Where is Yilian, where is she?"

"How should I know?!" Zitong's eyes brimmed with tears, stamping her foot in frustration. "When I found this spot, only the backpack was here. I don't know where Yilian has gone—Ah Lin Ge, below here is a deep abyss!"

"It can't be, Yilian must be alright—" Lin Wanrong turned pale, murmuring to himself, and dashed towards the hollow in the mountain.

Under the deep night sky, bathed in the cold moonlight, his mind in turmoil, his steps became erratic. He fell several times on the mountain path, but quickly scrambled up and continued forward. Reaching the edge of the cold pond, he gasped for breath, his eyes searching ahead.

The clear lake water rippled, shining with a silvery glow under the moonlight, like a smooth mirror. All around was eerily silent, without a sound, everything as calm as ever.

Yet, his heart was in turmoil. Circling the lake, suddenly, a few shallow footprints on the water's edge caught his attention.

Judging from the arc of the footprints left by the shoes, they belonged to a graceful woman. The traces of the footprints deepened from the soft soil at the lake's edge, gradually sinking into the mud, until they disappeared entirely.

Alarmed, Lin Wanrong's pupils dilated as he stared at the tranquil lake, feeling a choking panic in his heart.

"Yilian, where are you?" His eyes bloodshot, he tore at his throat, yelling frantically towards the water, "Come back! Please come back!"

In his urgency, he didn't bother to undress and leaped straight into the water.

"Ah Lin Ge—" A surprised yet trembling voice suddenly echoed from behind a large rock far from the shore. "Is that you? What are you doing?"

A slender and pretty figure stood up from behind the rock, turning her head joyfully to look at Lin Wanrong in the water, her face glistening with tears.

Lin Wanrong was stunned, not even bothering to wipe the water droplets from his cheeks. "Yilian, you... you didn't jump into the lake?!"

The young girl's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Don't listen to Zitong's nonsense, I was just scaring her! Brother Lin, why did you jump into the pond? The water is very cold, you'll freeze! Come up, quickly!"

"Achoo!" Hearing Yilian's words, Lin Wanrong suddenly felt the cold enveloping him. A chill ran down his neck as he sneezed repeatedly.

Yilian hurried over, reaching out to pull him up. "Quick, come out!"

Her warm, soft hands shook lightly as they touched his. Lin Wanrong, startled, exclaimed, "Yilian—"

"I'm fine!" The girl forced a smile, her eyes misty with water vapor, gripping his hand tightly.

Once ashore, his clothes were thoroughly soaked, clinging uncomfortably to his body. Yilian pushed him behind the large rock. "Ah Lin Ge, take off your clothes!"

"Ah?!!"

"It's not what you think!" Yilian's face turned a deeper shade of red as she hastily waved her hands. "I... I mean to help you dry them!"

This Miao girl was earnest and straightforward, her cheeks blazing red, almost on the verge of tears. Lin Wanrong found it amusing yet heartwarming. "Yilian, thank you."

Yilian looked at him blankly, then smiled sweetly, turning her head away, her shoulders trembling slightly. "Ah Lin Ge, don't say such things to me!! Wait here, I'll be right back."

She left quickly and returned even faster, carrying a large bundle of dry wood. She swiftly piled it up and ignited a fire.

The blazing flames instantly lit up, illuminating her radiant cheeks. The young girl stood up, shyly turned her back to him, and reached her hand behind the rock. "Hand me your clothes!"

Twice submerged in water in one day, once passive, once active, Lin Wanrong thought wryly that he had indeed returned to a primitive state. His face heated up as he quickly removed his wet clothes and handed them to Yilian, then swiftly withdrew his hand, shivering behind the rock.

"Ah Lin Ge, don't be afraid, I won't tell anyone," Yilian said considerately.

He was fine until she mentioned it, but her reminder brought a wave of embarrassment to Lin Wanrong's face. He felt utterly humiliated; jumping into the water without a second thought. If someone were to come by now—his naked plight might just become the most talked-about scandal in Great Hua next year.

Yilian carefully draped his clothes over a wooden rack. Amidst the rolling waves of heat and rising tendrils of steam, her charming visage was softly illuminated.

Lin Wanrong, whose face had withstood many trials, felt a brief embarrassment before regaining his composure. Hidden behind a rock, unseen, he asked in a low voice, "Yilian, what brings you to the edge of this cold pool?"

The young girl hummed in response, her delicate hands gently stirring the burning bonfire, her cheeks flushed with a rosy hue: "When you captured Lord Nie, all the villagers were overjoyed. The Holy Maiden seemed so happy talking to you, and I didn't want to disturb you both, so I found my way here."

Lin Wanrong understood the unsaid words in her statement. He realized that Yilian must have seen him and Sister An in an intimate moment, which troubled her heart, prompting her to seek solitude.

"So you weren't planning to throw yourself into the lake," Lin Wanrong chuckled dryly, "then why was your seed bag hanging halfway up the hill?"

Yilian shook her head in confusion, "My seed bag was borrowed by Sister Zitong. She said she needed it for something. When did it end up on the hillside?"

Remembering Zitong's sly and mischievous demeanor, Lin Wanrong urgently inquired, "Does Zitong know you're here?!"

"Yes, Sister has been here, keeping me company," the girl admitted shyly. "She said you were causing trouble—said you were bad and planned to expose you to the Holy Maiden. I had to scare Sister, threatening to drown myself with a stone if she ruined your relationship with the Holy Maiden. She couldn't argue with me and took my seed bag and even my shoes for some reason."

Lin Wanrong now fully understood. It was all Zitong's doing; Yilian hadn't returned to Yingyue Hamlet or attempted to drown herself. Zitong was scheming out of concern for her sister, trying to frighten Lin Wanrong into seeing Yilian.

This fiery Miao girl was indeed troublesome. Her well-intentioned plan had resulted in him getting wet again and hiding behind a rock, nearly naked. If word got out, it would be a laughingstock.

Though Zitong's methods were harsh, her intentions were kind, and Lin Wanrong couldn't blame her. He sighed, "Yilian, do you now believe the words I've told you?"

In the past, Ah Lin Ge had often said that he came to the Miao village to court the Holy Maiden. Unfortunately, at that time, not knowing his true identity, everyone assumed his feelings for the Holy Maiden were unrequited, leading to many misunderstandings.

The girl's expression turned sorrowful, her eyes brimming with unshed tears, as she nodded silently, "Ah Lin Ge, I've always known you were a remarkable person. I just never imagined you to be the formidable General who terrifies the nomads. Winning at the Flower Mountain Festival was expected. Only a hero of your wisdom and valor is worthy of our Holy Maiden."

Hearing Yilian speak these words, Lin Wanrong was at a loss, whether to nod or shake his head. He sighed helplessly, "Having entered the Xuzhou Prefecture, I never revealed my identity to you. Do you hate me for that?"

"Not at all," Yilian shook her head vigorously, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks. "I have never resented you, Ah Lin Ge. From the moment you gifted me the broken jade pendant, I knew you were an extraordinary person. Only someone with a truly broad mind could possess such magnanimity!"